Departmental Affiliations
School of Medicine
Primary
Research Interests
Global Health; Environmental Epidemiology; Non-Communicable Disease; Air Pollution; Aerosol Science; Exposure Assessment; Computational Fluid Dynamics
Additional Links
Experiences & Accomplishments
Overview
Dr. Nicolaou is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, with joint appointment in Environmental Health and Engineering. Her background is in Mechanical Engineering, with specific training and expertise in aerosol science, exposure assessment, and high-performance computing. Her research interests lie in global health and environmental epidemiology, and her current research activity centers around air pollution and non-communicable disease in low- and middle-income countries. In particular, Dr. Nicolaou’s research integrates exposure assessment and in silico modeling techniques to better characterize pollutant exposures and their effects on health. Dr. Nicolaou has five years of experience in field research settings and is currently leading air pollution projects in Peru, Uganda, and Nepal.
Honors & Awards
Frank Turner Wilson Award, Imperial College London, 2004 - 2005
Governors' Prize, Imperial College London, 2006 - 2007
Doctoral scholarship award, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 2007 - 2011
Knowledge Transfer Secondment Award, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 2011 - 2012
Doctoral Prize Fellowship, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 2012 - 2013
Margaret Fishenden Centenary Memorial Prize, Imperial College London, 2014
Imperial College Research Fellowship, Imperial College London, 2014 - 2017
Pat Burnell New Investigator award (runner-up), Drug Delivery to the Lungs Conference (DDL25), 2014
Provost’s Visiting Professor Award, Johns Hopkins University, 2017 - 2018
2020 ATS Abstract Scholarship, American Thoracic Society, 2020
Governors' Prize, Imperial College London, 2006 - 2007
Doctoral scholarship award, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 2007 - 2011
Knowledge Transfer Secondment Award, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 2011 - 2012
Doctoral Prize Fellowship, UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 2012 - 2013
Margaret Fishenden Centenary Memorial Prize, Imperial College London, 2014
Imperial College Research Fellowship, Imperial College London, 2014 - 2017
Pat Burnell New Investigator award (runner-up), Drug Delivery to the Lungs Conference (DDL25), 2014
Provost’s Visiting Professor Award, Johns Hopkins University, 2017 - 2018
2020 ATS Abstract Scholarship, American Thoracic Society, 2020
Select Publications
Selected publications
- Nicolaou L, Checkley W. Differences between cigarette smoking and biomass smoke exposure: An in silico comparative assessment of particulate deposition in the lungs. Environmental research. 2021 Jun 1;197:111116. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111116
- Nicolaou L, Checkley W. Inequities in air pollution exposure and gaps in air quality monitoring. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2021 Jul 1;148(1):64-6. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2021.04.014
- Nicolaou L, Fandiño-Del-Rio M, Koehler K, Checkley W. Size distribution and lung-deposited doses of particulate matter from household exposure to biomass smoke. Indoor air. 2021 Jan;31(1):51-62. doi:10.1111/ina.12710
- Koullapis P, Kassinos SC, Muela J, Perez-Segarra C, Rigola J, Lehmkuhl O, ... & Nicolaou L. Regional aerosol deposition in the human airways: The SimInhale benchmark case and a critical assessment of in silico methods. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2018 Feb 15;113:77-94. doi:10.1016/j.ejps.2017.09.003
- Nicolaou L, Underhill L, Hossen S, Simkovich S, Thangavel G, Rosa G, ... & HAPIN Investigators. Cross-sectional analysis of the association between personal exposure to household air pollution and blood pressure in adult women: Evidence from the multi-country Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial. Environmental Research. 2022 Nov 1;214:114121. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.114121